


Detached

by MistBorn_SprenDeath



Category: Dream SMP - Fandom, Minecraft (Video Game), Video Blogging RPF
Genre: At times Non-Verbal TommyInnit, Basic ASL, Domestic Fluff, Due to Implied Domestic Problems, Fluff, Gen, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Implied/Referenced Child Neglect, Older Sibling Wilbur Soot, Protective Older Sibling Wilbur Soot, This is all actually just, Touch-Starved TommyInnit (Video Blogging RPF), Wilbur Soot becomes Tommy's Guardian, Wilbur Soot is a Good Big Brother, irl minecraft au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-12
Updated: 2021-03-12
Packaged: 2021-03-19 08:14:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,749
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29996475
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MistBorn_SprenDeath/pseuds/MistBorn_SprenDeath
Summary: Tommy was safe now.And some days he was completely nonverbal, struggling to even do the bear necessities.But that was alright.Sometimes Wilbur struggled with that too.He slowly started to show Tommy simple signs.A way for him to have a voice and to be able to communicate when his words failed him.It wasn’t perfect.But it was a start.Tommy was an absolutely brilliant kid, and nothing was going to stop him from reaching his potential, Wilbur could just see it.===(Don't let it deceive you, this is all just fluff. Big Doting Brother Wilbur Soot fluff.)
Relationships: Clay | Dream & Wilbur Soot, Toby Smith | Tubbo & TommyInnit, Wilbur Soot & Technoblade & TommyInnit & Phil Watson, Wilbur Soot & TommyInnit
Comments: 13
Kudos: 266





	Detached

**Author's Note:**

> Been craving some Wilbur & Tommy brother fluff so I wrote some myself ^v^

The thing about Sleepy Boi’s Incorporated is that they weren’t necessarily blood family. Wilbur called Phil “Dadza” and so Tommy also joined in the chanting. Tommy called Wilbur his older brother, and Wilbur called Tommy his younger brother. But they weren’t  _ family _ . They were pretty close, given the time they spent with each other and how close they grew, but they were only family if you asked the right person. 

All that to say, Wilbur and Tommy were the closest. 

Fitting, given they were the two to make family comparisons, more than Phil or Techno. 

Tommy was the little brother Wilbur had never had. 

Wilbur rather liked being an older brother.

===

Living on the Bright Server, Wilbur only lived a couple servers away from Tommy. So the trip would take half a day if he ever wanted to visit, but they lived the closest to each other in the SBI.

Tommy was more familiar with the Living Server that Wilbur had built his home in than Wilbur was of Tommy’s, but there wasn’t a problem with that. It just meant they’d need to schedule more meetups.

===

The call came in the middle of the night, Wilbur had already been awake and was out the door before Tommy managed to stutter through his first sentence.

His brother needed him.

===

Tommy was shaking and hurt, but he was safely in Wilbur’s arms. 

He wasn’t going to let his brother go anytime soon.

Wilbur could keep Tommy  _ safe _ .

Tommy deserved to be safe.

===

Taking his brother back with him to the Bright Server, Wilbur spoke as softly as he could. Careful not to speak too loudly or to overwhelm Tommy.

When Wilbur tried to wrap Tommy in a hug the boy had flinched so badly Wilbur nearly burst into tears right there on the transport. 

But then Tommy had grabbed his hand with watery eyes and quietly thanked him.

Wilbur wanted to keep Tommy safe.

===

It was heartbreaking to realize that Tommy didn’t  _ know _ that he was allowed to be safe. That he was  _ supposed _ to be safe.

Wilbur cried with him that night in his home.

And although Tommy wouldn’t have liked to admit it, the boy had started crying too when Wilbur told him he could stay. 

===

Server laws could be difficult to navigate but Tommy, this kid always amazed Wilbur with how connected and resourceful he was, knew a guy in law school that could help point them in the right direction. 

And the right direction they went.

Hospital records were dug up.

Second hand witnesses that could support several of their claims.

It barely took a month.

Wilbur was fairly certain that was practically unheard of, especially when guardian legal battles were held between biological relatives and a third party.

But the End court ruled in his favor.

===

Tommy was safe now.

And some days he was completely nonverbal, struggling to even do the bear necessities.

But that was alright. 

Sometimes Wilbur struggled with that too.

He slowly started to show Tommy simple signs.

A way for him to have a voice and to be able to communicate when his words failed him.

It wasn’t perfect.

But it was a start.

Tommy was an absolutely brilliant kid, and nothing was going to stop him from reaching his potential, Wilbur could just see it.

===

Dream was notified of the shift in guardianship due to the nature of being the administrator of Tommy’s main Owner Server.

Tommy did all his streaming and work there, and as a minor there were certain records and legal documents that fell under the jurisdiction of his legal guardian. 

When Dream requested a meeting with him, Wilbur wasn’t surprised.

Dream asked if there needed to be any alterations to the plot and if any of the guardian permissions needed to be revised or reworked to better care for Tommy.

Wilbur ended up reworking the papers concerning physical contact action scenes with Dream’s assistance. Together they also revised Tommy’s medical information and player address to align with Bright Server’s regulations. 

Any changes to be made to the plot were drafted and considered, but Wilbur wouldn’t sign off until he had both his and Tommy’s signature.

Dream was just as relieved as Wilbur was that Tommy was safe. 

He gave Wilbur his personal ping id in case of emergency.

Wilbur really enjoyed working with Dream.

===

Wilbur was worried when Tommy had first nervously approached him, but was greatly relieved when he found out what was bothering Tommy.

He wanted to tell Tubbo.

He also wanted to let Phil and Technoblade know. 

When he timidly asked if Wilbur would be there to help him, he didn’t hesitate for a moment.

He was going to be there for his little brother.

===

Tubbo frowned, peering closer at the screen. “Why you with Wilbur right now, Big Man? Normally everyone on twitter knows the moment you guys make plans to meet up.” 

Tommy smiled nervously, glancing over at Wilbur for reassurance before turning back to answer his friend. “I-I’m kind of living with Wilbur right now, Big T.”

Wilbur could see the questions on the tips of Techno and Phil’s tongues and sighed, giving them a weary smile. “All guardianship has legally been transferred to me on the grounds of domestic negligence and domestic abuse.”

The three balked for a moment. 

Tubbo was the first to recover. “Tommy, I love you so much. You do not deserve anything that happened to you in that household.”

“How long?” Technoblade asked, ever the tactful man.

Tommy struggled to answer before placing at Wilbur worriedly. Placing his hand on Tommy’s, Wilbur gave him a smile before turning to address Technoblade’s question. “Tommy’s been living with me for almost a month now. I gained custody about a month ago.” Taking a deep breath, Wilbur frowned. “Tommy hadn’t realized anything was wrong until I was talking to him about it.”

The implication was received easily. 

Tommy had been raised in it. 

“Wait,” Tubbo began, “Doesn’t this mean you live closer now, Tommy?” 

Bless this kid’s heart.

Tommy perked up, nodding. “It does, in fact, my dear Tubbster. We’re only an hour drive from each other now.”

The boy fist bumped, “Yes! That’s perfect!”

Off screen they could hear Tubbo’s parents call his name. 

Wilbur could see the way they all tensed considering the topic at hand.

But Tubbo just rolled his eyes good-naturedly and gave them all a smile. “Sorry, guys. Parent’s calling. It’s family night and Lani’s & I are in charge of making the dessert.” He turned to Tommy before he headed off. “I’m really glad you’re safe, Tommy. Call if you need anything. Oh! And, you should be expecting a package soon!” With that Tubbo left the call and his icon went dark. 

Turning to Tommy, Wilbur gave his hand a squeeze. “I’m going to talk to Tech and Phil some more about the legal stuff, Toms, feel free to stay if you want, but you don’t have to.”

Tommy hesitated for a moment, as if gauging how sincere Wilbur was with his offer, before standing and quietly leaving the room.

Wilbur sighed and slid the chair in front of the computer, now not needing the space to allow room for another seat for Tommy. 

“Are you sure your mental health is going to be able to hold up right now, Wil?” The question came from Phil. No accusations or judgement. Just an honest question.

Pinching the bridge of his nose, Wilbur leaned forward and exhaled shakily. “Tommy’s been my main focus. I haven’t really had the time to  _ be _ in my own thoughts. It’s all been-“ There wasn’t really a good word to describe what this nightmare of a couple of months had been.

“How were you able to transfer power so quickly? I thought most servers had some pretty lengthy processes.” Phil asked, brows furrowing.

“Luckily for us his....” Wilbur hesitated for a moment, trying to find a word that wouldn’t work him up into a frenzy. He finally settled on,“guardians spent more time inebriated than sober. A lot of secondary accounts were volunteered easily.”

“That’s it? A bunch of nosy neighbors?” Techno leaned forward, piglin tusks catching the light momentarily.

Sighing as he pinched the bridge of his nose, Wilbur explained, “There was also a detailed and suspicious medical history, though beforehand the hospital staff couldn’t prove anything due to how minor the injuries were and because of some...internal affairs issues with the staff.”

The sound of agitated feathers being ruffled came from Phil’s side. “Why did it take so long for anyone to notice?”

“Tommy’s a clever kid, he’s really good at hiding.” Technoblade offered, frown on his face. 

Leaning back in his chair, Wilbur felt exhausted. “He didn’t realize anything was wrong or out of the ordinary.”

“When did you notice?”

_ When he called me in a panic at an unholy hour of night. _

Wilbur instead settled for a less triggering memory. “I had punched his shoulder in jest and then panicked when he flinched because I thought I had hit him. But he only had this really confused look on his face. I asked him if he was alright. He asked me why it didn’t hurt.” Wilbur clarified, “The punch, that is. And I told him I’d never ever want to hurt him.” Taking a shaky breath, Wilbur felt his eyes sting dully. “That it’s something I get nightmares about sometimes. He just seemed confused at my response, and asked me again why my punch didn’t hurt.” He let out a bitter laugh. “I kind of was able to slip out of my panic at that point and start to connect some dots. Tommy seemed genuinely confused why I hadn’t hurt him. There was no reason for me to be mad or upset with him, and there’s never a good reason to hit a child, but he seemed convinced that I was just trying to trick him or something. Like some sort of sick game.”

“Wilbur, breathe.” Phil instructed.

Wilbur gave him a shaky smile. “When I asked him if either of his parents hit him, he asked why they wouldn’t. Went on talking about all these negative qualities he had and reasons why he deserved it. He thought he deserved all of it.”

After a moment of silence, Technoblade asked, “How did you convince him it wasn’t okay?” 

“I started crying. Just, full on sobbing. He started to panic asking what was wrong and I had told him that it was wrong.”

“And he just believed you?” Technoblade seemed confused, a small piglin snort escaping.

Wilbur shook his head, crossing his arms as he felt a chill wash over him. “Oh, heavens no. But he started to realize something was wrong. He’s a clever kid, but he didn’t realize somethings were wrong until I pointed it out to him.”

“So, that convinced him?” 

It was sweet sometimes just how hard Technoblade would try to understand human habits. Especially in regards to Tommy, but Wilbur might have been a little biased.

“Oh no. I started asking him if it would have been okay for that thing to happen to anyone else.” Wilbur sighed, running a hand through his hair. “I don’t want him to constantly be worrying and being anxious about whether or not the people around him are safe, but I needed him to put into perspective what was happening.”

“And he listened?” Technoblade asked, worry brimming his tone.

Giving a weak smile, Wilbur leaned forward and steepled his fingers. “I had asked if what was happening to him happened to Tubbo. He broke down and started crying.”

Phil finally spoke up, asking, “How were you able to convince him to let you take custody?”

“I told him it would be okay if he didn’t want his old parents anymore and he could stay with me. He tried to explain that he couldn’t because his parents would get mad, or angry. Which just breaks my heart.” Wilbur held himself, nails digging in slightly. “Why do some people do that? Why would anyone even  _ dream _ of hurting their child? Kids are vulnerable and meant to be kept  _ safe _ .”

“I don’t know, Wil, I don’t know.” Phil spoke placatingly, and Wilbur forced himself to relax a bit. 

Techno messed with the gold ring on one of his tusks in thought, grunting before asking, “Do you have temporary guardianship or is it permanent? I’m not quite as familiar with server laws in your area.” 

Reaching over to one of his desk drawers, and pulling out the documents, Wilbur turned the pages to face the camera so they could see. “It’s permanent. Tommy’s legally family now. He’s never going to have to go back home to those inexcusable monsters that were his parental units.” Wilbur set the papers back down, careful not to wrinkle them. “He’s practically my kid now. And as long as he wants to stay, I’m never letting him go.”

Tommy’s voice came from behind him, soft and watery. “You really mean that, Wil?” 

Spinning in his chair, Wilbur caught sight of the boy, holding on tightly to the edge of the door. “Tommy?”

“Do you-” Tommy stumbled over his words, “Did you really mean all that? All of it?”

“Of course. Every word. How long were you listening? I don’t want to have set off one of your triggers, even on accident.”

Tommy fidgeted nervously with the door, not meeting his eyes. “O-Oh, u-um, I was just outside the door the, um, whole time.”

Giving his little brother a soft smile, Wilbur carefully placed the legal documents back into their safe place. “That’s alright. You are allowed to stay if you want to, bubs. I didn’t mean to imply that you had to leave.” Wilbur turned to face Tommy completely. “I don’t want to hide anything from you. I want to keep you safe.”

Tommy began, “Um, c-can, uh, n-nevermind,” but quickly retracted.

“I can’t quite read minds, bud, not that good yet, if you want something I’m going to need you to ask me.” Wilbur gave him a teasing smile, before he dropped it for something more sincere. “I don’t want to step over your boundaries and make you uncomfortable, but if you don’t talk to me I can’t know where the lines are.”

Tommy flushed and looked away, crossing his arms over his chest in an x shape. That was the sign that Wilbur had taught him for hug.

“You want a hug?”

Hesitantly, Tommy shuffled on his feet and nodded, not making eye-contact.

“I’d like it if you could tell me yes, Toms, but it’s okay if you don’t know the sign for that one. I just want to make sure that you’re safe and alright.”

Slowly, Tommy lifted his right hand and made a fist, bobbing it up and down. The sign for yes.

Wilbur moved slowly, allowing Tommy to see where he was going, wrapping him in a hug that Tommy seemed to melt into, shivering slightly. “Good job, bubs, I wasn’t sure you knew that sign. You’ve been practicing. It’s getting better. You did so good.”

Tommy buried his face into Wilbur’s chest and held onto him tighter. 

“I’d love to keep hugging you, bud, but first I need to say goodbye to Phil and Techno. Is that alright?”

Tommy seemed to tighten his grip. 

“How about this? You go and grab the warmest, fuzziest blanket and we can go hug on the couch. Does that sound good?”

Trembling, Tommy shook his head ‘no’. He shakily signed, leave, two open hands that moved down in a short motion.

“You don’t want me to leave?”

Tommy shook his head and signed leave again.

“ _ You _ don’t want to leave?”

Tommy signed yes.

Wilbur smiled at him. “Do you remember the sign for ‘I’ bubs?”

Brow furrowed, Tommy thought for a moment, hands hovering uncertainty.

“I” Wilbur mimed the motion, a closed fist with his thumb pointing toward himself. 

Tommy mimicked the movement and Wilbur beamed at him. 

“Good job, Toms. I’m so proud of you. Thank you for using your words. Let’s shuffle back over to the computer for a second so I can say goodbye to Phil and Techno, okay?”

Tommy seemed to melt at the praise.

“We can talk later if you guys still have some questions.”

“Sounds good. Love you, Tommy. I’m so glad you’re safe.”

“If you need anything don’t hesitate to shoot me a message or to call.”

“Will do, Technoblade. Love you, Phil.”

Tommy pried himself from Wilbur’s side and shakily signed, I love you. Palm facing the camera, middle and ring finger down. 

Phil gave Tommy a bright smile and signed I love you back. Techno held up the sign as well. 

Wilbur held up his ‘I love you’ sign next to Tommy’s. Not looking at him, but moving slowly, Tommy wrapped his pinkie finger around Wilbur’s pinkie, linking their ’I love you’s. Wilbur curled his pinkie around Tommy’s. 

“You’re part of our family, Tommy. We’re so happy you’re part of it.”

Technoblade and Phil signed off after that, but Wilbur was more focused on murmuring softly to Tommy, who was beginning to tremble.

Sometimes Tommy wanted affection so badly but his body was just so unused to it that it made his nerves spark and burn. 

Tommy had told him about it the third night he had stayed at Wilbur’s house.

“It’s okay, Tommy. You’re doing so good. If it’s too much you can let go. I’m not going anywhere, okay? We’re going to get the warmest blankets in the house and we’re going to go sit in the living room. We could even turn on  _ Up _ if you want.”

Tommy hesitantly released his pinkie and signed ‘yes’, not moving quite enough to leave Wilbur’s space.

Picking up a pen from his desk, Wilbur held one end of the pen out to Tommy. “Here. I know that touch is a little too much right now, but you can hold the other end while we go get some blankets. Does that sound good, bubs?”

Slowly, his little brother reached out and grabbed the other end of the pen.

“Can you give me a sign, Tommy? I want to make sure you’re okay.”

Once again, Tommy signed ‘yes’.

Wilbur beamed at his brother. “Thank you so much, Tommy. I know how hard it can be sometimes. You’re doing amazing. Let’s just go to the linen closet to grab the big fuzzy blankets, alright?”

Watching Tommy preen under the praise, Wilbur felt his heart melt a little.

_ Good _ .

His brother was supposed to be safe and happy.

The journey was a little arduous, attempting to move down the halls and get the blankets out while still keeping a firm grip on the pen, but they eventually worked their way back into the living room.

“Good job, bubs.” Wilbur praised, watching with a smile as Tommy melted into the couch, already having claimed one of the bright blue blankets. “Let me just get the movie rolling.” Retrieving the remotes before settling down next to Tommy, Wilbur quickly found Up. They had watched the movie quite frequently since Tommy had arrived and it was quickly added to the favorites list.

Tommy practically melted into Wilbur’s side, blankets acting as a warm, soft barrier. It made something in his chest glow every time he saw Tommy like this. 

_ This _ is what a kid was supposed to look like.

Healthy, warm, happy.

They were only fifteen minutes into the movie when there came a knock at the door.

Tommy tensed at Wilbur’s side, but Wilbur smiled softly and shushed him softly. “Don’t worry, bubs. I’ll go see who’s at the door. It could be the parcel that Tubbo mentioned earlier.”

Although he didn’t relax, Tommy nodded, gripping the blanket tighter.

Wilbur made his way to the door, hoping that his anxious thoughts of the previous guardians being at his doorstep was just paranoia. Though all his fears were quickly assaged when he opened the door and there stood a Tubbo.

The kid gave him a bright smile and a tiny wave. “Surprise!”

Waving the kid in, Wilbur quickly closed the door behind him to keep the cold air from outside out. “The package is for you, bud! I was right about Tubbo being the one who sent it.”

When Tommy saw Tubbo, Wilbur could have sworn the kid’s eyes sparkled like stars. He struggled out of his cocoon of blankets, nearly ending up a heap on the floor and giving Wilbur a heart attack, Tommy stumbled over to his best friend.

To Wilbur’s surprise, Tommy engulfed his friend in a massive hug, burying his face in Tubbo’s hair. 

Tubbo laughed, hugging Tommy back. “Hey there, Big Man! I got on the transport not even 5 minutes after hanging up on you guys, I just needed to come and see you.”

“Your family’s okay with it?” Wilbur broke in, only now registering the fact that Tubbo had come alone.

Tommy pulled away, a look of concern on his face as he turned to look to Wilbur. 

Tubbo dug through his pockets before pulling out his communicator and showing Wilbur the screen. “Of course, Wilbur! Got signed and everything.”

There was the digital signature of Tubbo’s guardian on his transport log.

Wilbur sighed in relief. “Good. I wouldn’t want you to be getting in trouble with your parents, Tubbo.” Tommy stiffened, but Wilbur gave him a soft smile. “Sorry. Don’t worry, bubs. I just meant that Tubbo’s parents might be worried if he just ran off on them.”

That seemed to ease a bit of the tension and worry in Tommy’s shoulders. 

“We were just watching  _ Up _ . You want to join us, Tubbo?” 

Tubbo nodded excitedly. “But of course! Watching Tommy’s favorite movie with my favorite Tommy!”

The fond huff that Tommy gave matched the loosening of his shoulders a bit more.

“Perfect!” Wilbur smiled and ushered the two boys gently into the living room. “You boys go ahead and push play, I’m going to go pop some popcorn really quick.”

The sounds of affirmation from the two boys were all Wilbur needed before he made his way to the kitchen.

Tubbo was a sweet kid. 

By the time Wilbur returned to the living room with popcorn bowl in hand, the two boys were fast asleep on the couch, curled together under several blankets.

Tommy was healing.

Wilbur was certain of that.

**Author's Note:**

> This is just me projecting protective sibling feelings onto Wilbur. 
> 
> So the basic concept for their world is that there are 2 different kinds of servers.
> 
> Living Servers -(think cities like Brighton or LA)- everyday lives and homes are built here  
> Owner Servers -(think Dream SMP, Hypixel, HermitCraft, etc.)- work and games are built here
> 
> Pretty much it's a mixing of irl dynamics while keeping it within the world of Minecraft because I don't feel comfortable writing irl fics, lol. 
> 
> I don't normally write like this, or from Wilbur's perspective, but the idea wouldn't leave me alone until I wrote it out. But I hope you guys enjoy this fun one-shot either way!
> 
> Stay safe, stay hydrated! <3
> 
> ~Misty


End file.
